Irrigation and drainage systems have been known for thousands of years. Such systems have varied from extremely crude to highly complex. For example, the simple expedient of diverting water from a stream or other natural source to a system of surface channels has been practised for centuries. More recently, greater reliance has been placed on pumping and piping systems as key components of irrigation systems.
In many cases the irrigation systems are of a mobile type which are moved from place to place within a field or farm area for selective periodic irrigation.
The manner in which water is ultimately delivered by these systems also varies greatly. For example, sprinkler systems and drip systems are in widespread use.
Prior such systems have generally included aspects which are inherently inefficient. For example, very substantial amounts of water are frequently lost through evaporation from surface irrigation systems.
Mobile systems and other selective periodic systems tend to result in very uneven soil moisture conditions from time to time.
Just as a variety of irrigation systems have been utilized over many years to compensate for a lack of rainfall, drainage systems have taken many configurations to compensate for periodic excess water. For example, in many areas annual rainfall is concentrated in a short period of time and may during that time create problems which are as serious as the lack of water at other times.
Again, the systems utilized have varied from simple drainage ditches to more elaborate drainage tile systems.
These drainage systems have generally not been controllable.
An irrigation system has now been developed which offers advantages over those known to date, and the system includes in one aspect an integrated drainage system offering advantages over prior such systems.